Over the years, a number of accessories have been proposed to simulate the ballast beds or other track beds of for model railroad train sets. Each of the accessories offered to date has distinct limitations, primarily relating to their cost of production, which severely limit their ability to compete with ordinary track. Some designs are difficult to manipulate, limiting their usefulness and acceptance by consumers.
Initially it is noted that most if not all model railroad track manufacturers have equipment in place to economically manufacture sections of track. Standard track for at least HO and N scale gauges, which are currently the most popular sizes, consist essentially of a pair of metal rails molded in place in a ladder-like base simulating a plurality of spaced apart ties. Typically a tubular rail connector is provided at one end of each rail, which permit rail sections to be mated by press fitting together ends of two pieces of compatible track. The only structures holding such track segments together are the pairs of the tubular rail connectors provided at each track joint. At least in the HO and N gauges, these connectors have not proven adequate to maintain the track sections together in use. Consequently, it has become necessary to permanently mount track sets in such gauges to boards to assure that the rail sections will remain together in use. The maintenance problems associated with the smaller gauge track has effectively restricted growth of such train sets from the more demanding hobby class into the less demanding toy class of children's amusements.
Attempts have been made at various times to address this track maintenance problem of model railroading.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,272,903 disclosed more than 50 years ago, the provision of toy railroad track with interconnectable, releasibly latching sections. Each section included a molded, insulating material base with transversely extended, tie simulating protrusions, as well as a series of three longitudinal slots which received a pair of wheel bearing rails and a third, central power rail. The rails had to be inserted into the slots in separate, individual operations. After insertion, the rails had to further be secured with separate anchor members (34). Special latching members (22 and 23) also had to be fitted within the wheel bearing rails to provide a releasable latching engagement between interconnected sections of track. The number of individual interfitted pieces and the number of steps need to assemble each section of track made the cost of manufacturing such track prohibitively expensive in comparison to the automated methods currently used to make model railroad track sections from merely a pair of metal rails molded in one-piece with a ladder-like base simulating a multiplicity of adjoining, spaced apart ties.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,764,357 disclosed nearly 40 years ago, model railroad track in which each section included a pair of rails secured to simulated ties, which were themselves molded into place on the upper side of an otherwise substantially planar base member. The base member was initially molded with male engaging members or tongues (12 or 65) and substantially rectangular mating sockets (14 and 66). To permit the molding in place of the sockets, openings (20 or unnumbered) were provided through the base member. As a result of providing such openings, the rails 10 then had to be individually hand inserted into the slots (6) provided on each of the simulated rail ties, which were molded in place on the upper side of each plastic base. Insertions of the rails had to have been a tedious manual task, particularly for curved rail sections which also had to be provided. Also, sufficient clearance had to be provided in each molded slot to permit receipt of the metal rail. Consequently, the rails could be only loosely secured to the base in order to foster assembly of the track. This would have resulted in the rails being pulled from the molded body relatively easily when the sections of track were taken apart.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,650,468 discloses the modern method of making conventional model railroad track sections at least for HO and N scale gauges. Individual metal rails 1 are molded in place with ladder-like plastic tie assemblies 2. The tie assemblies 2 can thereafter be fixedly secured with a molded base 5, simulating a ballast bed, by suitable means including ultrasonic bonding. However, no means are disclosed in this patent for mechanically or electrically coupling together sections of track made in the manner disclosed in the patent, other than the tubular rail joints, which might be provided but which are not even disclosed in this patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,225,081 describes a metal joint (64) for electrically coupling together model railroad track rails, which joint is mechanically locked to the track section on which it is initially mounted. One joint is exposed at each end of each of track section and slidingly engages a rail exposed at the end of a like section of track. These are the only means holding together joined pairs of the track sections.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,898,326 discloses yet another track joining system in which a one-piece body (10 or 12) is molded to simulate a rail bed with a plurality of spaced apart simulated ties and simulated pairs of tie spikes on each simulated tie. The patent expressly discloses inserting the rail and rail connectors between the simulated spikes molded on top of the ties and the molded ties themselves. Each end of each one-piece body is further provided with an engagement tongue (44, 46) which is notched to receive an end of a separate leaf spring member (52, 54) one of which is mounted to the engagement tongue at each end of each track section. The multipiece construction of these track sections with the separate spring members (52 and 54) increases the complexity and thus cost of fabricating such track sections. So too does the rigid, full height engagement tongue (44, 46) at the end of each one piece body (10, 12).
U.S. Pat. No. 4,953,785 discloses yet another model railroad track construction employing a molded substantially planar body (11), which roughly defines a ballast bed and which is recessed on its upper surface to receive a "grate structure" (1) simulating a series of ties. The grate structure is held to the molded body 11 by means of a separate, molded, ladder-like stiffener (6) having pins (7), which extend through the molded body and into grate structure stiffener. The patent indicates that a track section formed by the grate structure (1) and rails (9, 10) In addition to securing the rail and tie assembly to the track bed body 11, the molded one piece stiffener 6 included male and female locking structure at its opposing longitudinal ends which releasibly lock with like structures on like sections of track when mated end to end.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,665,848 and 2,665,849 disclose a one-piece, molded, flexible, track bed simulating attachment members, which can be fitted over the ties of a conventional S gauge, all-metal track section. The molded track bed accessory (20) is rather expensive to manufacture as it requires the provision of cut outs with undercuts to receive and grip the ties of each track section. The accessories further do nothing to lock together adjoined sections of track.
It would be very desirable to provide easily and inexpensively manufactured lengths of model railroad track which can releasibly latched together with like section of track. It further would be advantageous to provide such construction in smaller gauges, particularly HO and N gauges, as conventional track sections of such gauges are relatively delicate and have a tendency to separate when secured together only by conventional, slide-on, electrical/mechanical tubular rail connectors.